


Firsts

by rexisnotyourwriter



Series: Before the Flood [5]
Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Father-Daughter Relationship, Fatherhood, First Day of School
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-02
Updated: 2015-12-02
Packaged: 2018-05-04 11:47:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5332997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rexisnotyourwriter/pseuds/rexisnotyourwriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Daisy's first day of school, and Alec Hardy realizes his little girl is growing up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Firsts

He told work weeks ago that he would be a bit late today. He knew he could probably make it on time, but he didn’t want to rush. It already felt like time was going by too fast.

Not for Daisy though. She couldn’t wait to go to school. She had spent the past month talking of little else.

One Saturday, they took her to pick out a backpack. She bypassed the pink princess ones and the ladybugs and the trucks until she found the one she wanted. It was square shaped, and the pattern made it look like a book with a zipper going up the side of the “pages”. It was pricier than the other ones, but Alec didn’t care.

Daisy wore it everywhere. She usually filled it with some of her toys and favourite books, but sometimes she would just wear it empty.

She was wearing it when she crawled into their bed that morning, still in her pyjamas. She less than stealthily jumped on the bed before wiggling her way between them, turning to face Alec.  He was awake, but pretended to still be sleeping. Her face was right up in his - he could feel it.  It was hard not to smile.  

He opened his eyes just a crack. She giggled and pressed her nose up against his. He laughed and opened his eyes fully, her light hair, still a tangled mess from sleeping, pushed behind her ears.

"Come on, darling,’ he said as he scooped her up in his arms and brought her back into her room.

He set her down and looked for her hairbrush on the cluttered shelf. She ran to her bed, that she had attempted to make, and started putting on the outfit she had laid out. She must’ve been up quite early.

Alec chuckled to himself. She was so independent already.  He could feel the knots beginning to form in his stomach and his throat tighten.

He was startled when she grabbed his leg. He was lost in his own thoughts, but her smile looking up at him brought him back to the present. He knelt down and began gently teasing the knots out of her hair.

Tess appeared in the doorway.

"Shall I get the waffles started?"

"Yes please!" Daisy said emphatically, peeking her head out from behind Alec’s legs.

 

After breakfast, he checked her backpack twice to make sure she had everything, not that there was much she had to bring, but still. She had her juice and her snacks, and he stuck her stuffed lamb in there, just in case.  She was insistent she wouldn’t need it, but he sort of hoped she would.  

Once she had her coat and shoes on, and all of the strawberry sauce had been wiped clean from her face, Tess helped put her in the car while he grabbed what he needed for work.

"Have a good day, sweetheart. I’ll come and pick you up afterwards, okay? Love you," she said to Daisy.  She kissed her forehead goodbye.

"See you later love," Tess said to Alec as they crossed paths in the driveway.

He gave her a quick kiss.

"I’ll be home for lunch," he said.

She gave him a look.  He didn’t talk about it, but she knew the toll this day was having on him.

He returned it with a dopey smile and half a shrug.  

She nodded reassuringly.  Sometimes they didn’t need words; they could read each other’s faces like words on a page.

 

Alec held Daisy’s hand all the way from the car to the classroom. He paused in the hallway just outside the door.

"Come on, Dad," she said, tugging on his arm.

"Right.”

He knelt down beside her so that his eyes were level with hers.  Soon enough he wouldn’t have to do that anymore.

He felt his throat tighten again.

"Now make sure you listen to your teachers, and remember your manners, and…and, just-"

He sighed and stared at the ground.  Then he turned back up to her and smiled.

"Have a good day, alright?"

"I will."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a big kiss on his cheek. He put his arms around her and closed his eyes.

"I’ll see you at lunch time, darling.”

She waved at him one last time before disappearing into the classroom.

Alec took a deep breath as he walked back to his car, blaming the water forming in his eyes on the wind.

He checked his watch when he got into the car. He was already counting the hours until lunch time.

 


End file.
